Fiction

Anderson, Laurie Halse                    Speak                                                 AND YA

A traumatic event near the end of the summer has a devastating effect of Melinda's freshman year in high school.

Atkins, Caroline                     When Jeff Gets Home                                   ATK YA

Sixteen-year-old Jeff, returning home after having been kidnapped and held prisoner for three years, must face his family, friends, and school and the widespread assumption that he engaged in sexual activity with his kidnapper.

Cameron, Ann                        Colibri                                                 Cam YA

Kidnapped when she was very young by an unscrupulous man who has forced her to lie and beg to get money, a twelve-year-old Mayan girl endures an abusive life, always wishing she could return to the parents she can hardly remember.

Chobosky, Stephen, The Perks of Being a Wall Flower             YA CHO

A series of letters to an unknown correspondent reveals the coming-of-age trials of a high-schooler named Charlie

Flinn, Alex                              Breathing Underwater                                   FLI YA

Sent to counseling for hitting his girlfriend, Caitlin, and ordered to keep a journal, sixteen-year-old Nick recounts his relationship with Caitlin, examines his controlling behavior and anger, and describes living with his abusive father.

Frank, E.R.                             Friction                                                           FRA YA

When a new girl at the private school Alex attends starts rumors about Alex's favorite teacher, Alex and her eighth-grade classmates are not sure how to act around him or with each other.

Grove, Vicki               Reaching Dustin                                                        GRO YA

Fifth-grader Carly's assignment to interview a reclusive, brooding classmate leads her to discover some of the events that have caused his antisocial and abusive family's negative impact on their Missouri farming community and Carly's family in particular.

Lowry, Lois                              Gossamer                                                         Low YA

While learning to bestow dreams, a young dream giver tries to save an eight-year-old boy from the effects of both his abusive past and the nightmares inflicted on him by the frightening Sinisteeds.

Marcheta, Melina                              Jellicoe Road                                        MAR YA

Abandoned by her drug-addicted mother at the age of eleven, high school student Taylor Markham struggles with her identity and family history at a boarding school in Australia.

McCormick, Patrice                          Sold                                                     YA McC

Thirteen-year-old Lakshmi, though poor, enjoys her life until the Himalayan monsoons wash away her family's crops and she is sold to a brothel in India by her stepfather. She remembers her mother's wisdom, "Simply to endure is to triumph," until the day comes that she can reclaim her life.

Mikael, Ben               Touching Spirit Bear                                      MIK YA               

     After his anger erupts into violence, Cole, in order to avoid going to prison, agrees to participate in a sentencing alternative based on the native American Circle Justice, and he is sent to a remote Alaskan Island where an encounter with a huge Spirit Bear changes his life. This gripping, graphic survival story from an award-winning writer paints an unsparing picture of one violent teen and offers a poignant testimony to the power of pain that can destroy and may also heal.      

Werlin, Nancy                        The rules of survival                                      YA WER

Seventeen-year-old Matthew recounts his attempts, starting at a young age, to free himself and his sisters from the grip of their emotionally and physically abusive mother.

Nonfiction

Check, William A.                  Child Abuse                               363.291 SHU YA    

Goldwater, Debra.                 Family Violence                    362.83 GOL YA 

Oates, Joyce Carlos      Freaky Green Eyes                               OAT YA

Fifteen-year-old Frankie relates the events of the year leading up to her mother's mysterious disappearance and her own struggle to discover and accept the truth about her parents' relationship.

Rue, Nancy  Everything you need to know about abusive relationships                                                                       306.73 RUE YA      

Shuker-Haines, Frances        Everything you need to know about a drug abusing parent                                  363.291 SHU YA    

Werlin, Nancy              The rules of survival                              Wer YA

Seventeen-year-old Matthew recounts his attempts, starting at a young age, to free himself and his sisters from the grip of their emotionally and physically abusive mother.

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